Twenty Things
by therentyoupay
Summary: ONE-SHOT. 20 Things Princess Yue and Sokka Have Come To Realize. SokkaYue.


**Say what: **Written for the 20bendings community on LiveJournal.  
**Rules:** 20 facts/things about a certain group/person/pairing.  
**Other:** Same universe as my Moonlit Façade.  
Yayz.

**01.** When Princess Yue met her betrothed, she found that she wasn't surprised at her father's choice, despite what she might have previously believed. What she _was_ astonished to find was how easily the superficial greetings and polite words of false joy seemed to flow from her mouth.

**02.** Sokka thought of Suki often. There was something about her that stuck out in his memories, something in her determined eyes that caused her to appear in his dreams often. Sokka didn't realize that when this happened, he smiled.

**03.** Yue came to marvel at how she'd so quickly learned to accept the traditions of her people.

**04. **At the first sight of Yue, Suki was forgotten.

**05.** Yue's first impression of Sokka was that he was merely another silly boy that tried to impress her in hopes of gaining her affection, possibly even one of the ones who were determined enough to try to court her. She played along for a little while, hoping that the Southern Water Tribe boy would eventually move on and go back to stuffing his face.

She quickly came to realize however, that the boy was different than the ones she was used to in her tribe. At first, she couldn't quite determine what it was about him that separated him from the rest. Yes, this boy -- _Sokka, I believe_ -- was attractive, but so were countless others that had made their affections for her known, and many of which had much more tact and an air of nobility around them (though truth be told, Princess Yue didn't entirely care for these things). As the boy rambled on, she continued pondering this.

But all of a sudden, as she smiled, it came to her.

He could make her laugh.

**06.** Sokka's delight in planning to meet her at the bridge was only matched by the delight that he felt in actually seeing her there, waiting for him. For some reason that he wasn't entirely sure of, he wasn't nervous when he showed her the little carving he made for her (he'd spent tedious hours on it, working away and making it just right). To say that he was rather proud of it would be an understatement.

But his happiness faded very quickly as the Princess fled, turning without so much as an explanation for her apology -- "_I shouldn't have asked you to come here!_" -- and left him alone with his little piece of stone. Sokka looked down at in distaste, blaming it for Princess Yue's sudden "change of heart" (he didn't know what he'd been thinking for ever trying in the first place), and hurled it angrily into the water. He slumped against the railing.

He didn't think the fish had been _that_ bad.

**07.** Yue didn't know what she had been planning to do after she ran, all she knew was that Katara's words had struck a chord within her. _It must have taken a lot of courage_, the girl had said.

But what Katara didn't realize was that _she_ had courage too. She had a lot of it. How else would she be willing to sacrifice her entire life to a man she hardly knew, all for the welfare of her people? _No,_ Yue told herself._ It's_ running away_ that's the sign of a coward, not of bravery_.

_I have more courage than that woman will ever have_, Yue thought.

**08. **She didn't fully believe herself.

**09. **Sokka was sure that he wouldn't ever despise anything more than the sight of the elegant stone carving hanging against her slender neck. He was proven wrong when he saw saw the face of her fiancé.

**10. **For a second Princess Yue almost forgot about her engagement, her tribe's customs, and her duty to her people. For the briefest of moments, Princess Yue didn't care about anything other than the fact that Sokka's lips were but a breath away from hers. She wished that the moment could have lasted longer (or better yet, to have never ended at all).

**11.** It's when Sokka grabbed her hand (a protective gesture, and one that was not unwelcome) and tried to lead her to safety from the attacking Firenation fleet that she made her decision. _I wish we could just be friends…_

**12. **Sokka knew that she was lying.

Despite which (or rather, _because_ of which), he was the first to volunteer for her father's mission. He hadn't been planning on looking back at her as he walked away from the chief, for fear of seeing the look on her face (or tears in her eyes, but he quelled the thought instantly). In the end however, he turned to her, if only because he was sure that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't (he dared not think about what they would do if something happened while he was away and he never had another chance to make things right), and saw only sadness. He willed himself to look away.

**13. **Princess Yue was certain that the marks on his forehead must have been as cold on his skin as the tears on her cheeks.

**14. **When Princess Yue came to warn him about a firebender – "with a scar" – trying to take away the Avatar, shaking and gasping for air and altogether sounding incomprehensible, Sokka's heart began to pound painfully in his chest and worry for his sister and his friend grew to insurmountable heights. "Please," she whispered, as she clutched his parka tightly. "_Hurry_."

Sokka laid a hand on her cheek and nodded. He didn't completely understand what she had said, but the urgency in her eyes was all that he needed. He took her to Appa and mounted as fast as he could, heading in the direction that she showed him.

He tried to comfort her (and himself, for that matter) whenever he could, but he had a feeling that the words were lost on her. She nodded occasionally, but her eyes seemed distant. In between the mesh of thoughts of fearing for his family, he tried to deny the fact that he was grateful for the opportunity to watch her.

**15. **Yue was positive that she'd never felt more helpless than after seeing the moon spirit – the very reason for her existence – reduced to a lifeless body, burned and ruined by the hands of man gone insane with his greed for glory. Not only had the world lost another chance for its restoration to balance and normalcy, but she'd lost a part of herself too. Her head felt light and her heart felt empty.

But as she felt Sokka's hand gently grasp her shoulder, some of the warmth returned. She leaned into his touch, taking comfort in the way she could feel his heart beating against her back and his steady breathing in her ear. Her world was slowly crumbling around her, she knew, but she hadn't lost _everything_.

_Maybe_, Yue thought, swallowing a lump in her throat (everything was changing, so why shouldn't she be allowed to dream?). She closed her eyes as Sokka gently smoothed her hair. _Maybe we will have a chance after all_.

**16. **Even years after the war's end, Sokka was still not certain why he let go of her hand, what stopped him from holding her back and telling her that they'd find another way to restore the moon. Proving to her that she didn't have to leave. He still couldn't understand why he ever let her go.

(His mind would think that, perhaps, he let her because they both knew that there _was_ no other way. But he always passed it off as a selfish notion, just another one of his mind's pitiful excuses for not having the nerve to make her stay. They could have found another way. There _had_ to have been another.)

**17. **Yue was surprised at the lack of regret she felt as she gingerly placed her hands on what used to host the spirit of the moon. As she fell, she could vaguely hear someone crying out.

_Sokka_.

Inwardly, she smiled. It was sad, but a smile nonetheless. She wished she could tell him that it would be all right, but before she could try, her vision went dark.

**18.** Sokka was sure that his mind was playing tricks on him as Yue's spirit rose from the small pond. He was also certain that if that _was_ case, then he supposed he didn't mind.

_I will always be with you_.

He watched her spirit return to the sky and knew that it would never be enough.

**19. **Years after the siege, Sokka would lie awake in bed with Suki's quiet breathing ringing in his ears, and relive the moment of Yue's death over and over again.

Sometimes, his mind would give the story a different ending, usually one where La was resurrected and he and Yue managed to convince her father to relinquish Yue of her betrothal or of some fantastic adventure in which they eloped. It would always end with a "happily ever after." Eventually, the fantasies would somehow bring his thoughts back to a time when all he could think about was Suki. Sokka vividly remembered they days of only being able to think about the determination that drove her in battle or the passion that lead her daily life. One night, Sokka fearfully wondered if he'd ever somehow forget Yue the way he forgot Suki.

Sokka then turned to his wife, who was sleeping peacefully beside him. He moved as if he were going to touch her when suddenly, he blinked and her image was replaced by Yue, breathing softly as a small smile played upon her lips. Instantly, he recoiled with a small gasp, shutting his eyes tightly. He placed his head in his hands.

_No_, he supposed. _I won't_.

He wouldn't want to.

**20.** On some nights, she couldn't bear to watch over him, but she always regretted it when the sun took over the sky. She was never quite sure about when she missed him more – during the day when it was hard to see him at all, or at night when she could see everything clearly. She supposed it didn't matter in the end.

At any given time, she would tell herself that she made the right choice and that if given the chance to make her decision again, she would take the same path. Yue decided that she would rather be the moon than live with another man, as that's surely what would have happened. _Surely_.

As the days went by (days full of Sokka reuniting with another, one that had taken the place that was meant to be hers), Yue told herself that there wasn't any way that she and Sokka could have been together.

But her spirit always cried as she did, because she knew that in the end, it wasn't true; they would have _made _one.


End file.
